A review by ravencrantz
Overturned by Lamar Giles
4.0
3.5/5
This was not what I expected. Partly in a good way, partly in a bad way. I thought it would focus on Nikki and her dad trying to figure out who framed him, but the first half of this book focused very heavily on Nikki and her love life. We followed her gushing about a crush, and their first date, being paired together on a class project. Typical YA tropes. It was done well, it's just not my thing and I don't like it when I go into a book expecting one thing and then get this. Thankfully, the second half focused on murder plots and detective work.
One thing I really appreciated was Nikki asking for help. Sure she tried to do things on her own first, but when she realized she needed help, she wasn't afraid to ask for it. Her friends were always there for her, and when she realized her mom was hurting just as much as she was, she made amends. She's such a great character and feels so real, this may have been an impulse read, but for once I'm glad it happened.
The only real thing that bugged me (other than tropes, I understand why those are included) was brand dropping. I'm never a fan of brand dropping in media because it can so easily date the story. What happens when Uber is no longer a thing? What happens when people no longer care about iPhones? The only time this works is when authors purposely use something outdated, usually to make a point (I think Jay Asher talked about this with Thirteen Reasons Why, but that book is full of its own problems).
Overall this was a good book! The writing was smooth and entertaining, and once plot started happening, I didn't want to put the book down. It definitely made me interested in his other books too, so I look forward to reading those.
This was not what I expected. Partly in a good way, partly in a bad way. I thought it would focus on Nikki and her dad trying to figure out who framed him, but the first half of this book focused very heavily on Nikki and her love life. We followed her gushing about a crush, and their first date, being paired together on a class project. Typical YA tropes. It was done well, it's just not my thing and I don't like it when I go into a book expecting one thing and then get this. Thankfully, the second half focused on murder plots and detective work.
One thing I really appreciated was Nikki asking for help. Sure she tried to do things on her own first, but when she realized she needed help, she wasn't afraid to ask for it. Her friends were always there for her, and when she realized her mom was hurting just as much as she was, she made amends. She's such a great character and feels so real, this may have been an impulse read, but for once I'm glad it happened.
The only real thing that bugged me (other than tropes, I understand why those are included) was brand dropping. I'm never a fan of brand dropping in media because it can so easily date the story. What happens when Uber is no longer a thing? What happens when people no longer care about iPhones? The only time this works is when authors purposely use something outdated, usually to make a point (I think Jay Asher talked about this with Thirteen Reasons Why, but that book is full of its own problems).
Overall this was a good book! The writing was smooth and entertaining, and once plot started happening, I didn't want to put the book down. It definitely made me interested in his other books too, so I look forward to reading those.